Frostbite
by Emo-Ki
Summary: Kenny McCormick is trapped in a world of his own creation and in an attempt to escape drags Craig Tucker into Otherworld with him.


Something about the way the sunlight reflected off the golden surface of the lamp made me drawn to it. Not just drawn like to a pretty woman, but drawn like a moth to flame. While the woman running the garage sale was arguing with Cartman, I picked up the lamp and put it in my jacket pocket. Casually inspecting the rest of her wares, I find myself unimpressed by all of it when previously it had seemed somewhat interesting. When I finish looking, I join my friends, Stan and Kyle, beside Stan's car. The urge to take the lamp out and look at it has my fingers twitching.

Stan brushes his black hair out of his kohl-lined eyes only to have it fall back a moment later. He sighs, whether at his hair or our fat friend arguing I don't know. Only when the woman threatens to call the police does Cartman reluctantly back down. He shoves past us into the car, his feathers more than a little ruffled. "Stupid bitch." I hear him say loud enough for the woman to hear.

She starts yelling and we quickly pile into the car and drive away. Suddenly Cartman turns to me. "What did you get?" I raise an eyebrow, pretending to be innocent. "Don't try to pull that shit on me, white trash, I saw you nick something." Nick sounds like something that British homo Pip might say.

"I don't know what your talking about fatass." Its true that Cartman is still a fatass - probably more than when he was a child – and we never let him forget it. A savage expression promising my death twists his doughy face. Death threats merely make me laugh, and laugh I do. Because I know it will get under his skin, I lean up to the passenger seat where Kyle is sitting and rest my chin on his boney shoulder. "Ky, can I spend the night tonight?"

I ask in my sweetest, honey-dripped voice. The redhead does anything to get under Cartman's skin and agrees instantly. Whether or not I actually stay the night will depend on the item in my pocket. Its more than just a little tempting to ditch them and check it out in private. However, when Stan asks if we're hungry thoughts of the lamp are abandoned. Nothing wins out over my stomach.

We eat at McDonalds, me mooching off Stan and Kyle. I know not to try to beg from Cartman because he's too much of a hardass to actually share anything or buy me something. The entire time I'm distracted by the lamp in my pocket. I still remember the way the blue designs looked swirling over its unusual shape. The shape itself is like an elongated teapot and about the size of my hand. The transition between blue and gold is completely smooth with no lines or change of texture; its like feeling blue gold.

Stan drops off Cartman at his house. "Are you really going to spend the night or do you want to go home, dude?" The noir asks me. His voice fluctuates too much for him to be a true Goth kid. I smile and tell him that he can spend as much alone time with his boyfriend as he wants. Both of them grumble on the way to my house.

If it can be called a house. I get out of the car and wave goodbye then they are gone. Normally I don't like being home very much – it doesn't feel like home – but the lamp insists that I be in private. Odd how an inanimate object can fascinate me so much. One thing to do quickly before locking myself in my room.

I go to my little sister's room and peek in. She's sitting on her bed doing homework, music blaring in her old school headphones. That's my good girl, I think with a smile. Karen won't end up like that idiot older brother of ours. Sure that my kid sister is safe, I go to my room and lock the door. For once the naked women and NASCAR posters don't catch my eye.

Sitting on my bed I take out the lamp. My eyes immediately notice that it looks a little darker. Not the golden hue, but the blue. Its not as sapphire as it was. Maybe its just the lighting in here. It does kind of suck.

My thumb strokes the blue and gold, still amazed that it doesn't have any transition lines. What an interesting little lamp. Why I keep calling it a lamp I don't know. It looks like no lamp I've ever seen. More like a teapot. Like the lamp – teapot – from Aladdin.

Rubbing it comes to mind – maybe a genie will come out and she'll grant my wishes – and I act on the thought. Thick dark blue smoke starts pouring from the spout. Oh shit there really is a genie in here! I rub harder and faster until a figure forms from the odd smoke. It smells like incense in my room. The figure takes on a more solid appearance and I know immediately that its a woman.

She has nothing covering her plump, perky breasts. I want to bury my face in them and suck on her dark nipples. Something stops me from acting on this impulse. Instead I take in the rest of her; bangles up both arms, long dark flowing hair, no legs. The genie hovers over my bed, eyes closed. "What is your wish, mortal?"

Mortal? I laugh at the thought of being mortal. If only. Its then that I realize she can grant me the wish. She can kill me. "Is this your desire?"

But I didn't say anything out loud! I consider it. Do I really want to die permanently? No. Life might suck but I still love it. "No its not."

Her eyes open and she regards me carefully. Handsome as I am, the trashy clothes don't really make me very appealing. Warily – excitedly – I watch her get closer. "You long for adventure." This genie sucks too. I've had enough adventure to last me a lifetime or ten.

"You desire love?" She's guessing. It occurs to me that she must have dealt with hundreds of people. Most of them were probably the same. Wishing for beauty, wealth, adventure, love, immortality. So I think about it, trying to be original.

"I have three wishes, right?" She nods her head. "Is there anything I can't wish for?" She shakes her head. I could rule the world. It doesn't sound like an appealing job.

"I wish that there is a world entirely my own." In my mind images of the last world I visited pop up uninvited. That place I killed myself in. The place I know I was born to. A demon's universe. Slowly a smirk appears on her face, her blue eyes amused.

Her tone changes slightly, a bit deeper. "As you wish." Nothing happens. Confused, I look to the genie. She points to a small door in my wall that wasn't there previously. "That is the entrance to your world."

My own world, just beyond that little door. My head swims with the possibilities. Will there be titties? And beautiful women attached to those titties? Mattresses and hot tubs everywhere? A palace for me and my harem?

"Do I have to use all my wishes now?" I question the beautiful genie. She seems even more attractive now that I know she can really do things. Not that her being made half of smoke gave me reason to doubt how genuine she is. A single no is the answer to my question. "Then I want to think about my next wishes for a while."

Slowly the genie dissolves into smoke. The dark blue smoke retreats back into the lamp. Wow. Sitting on my bed I look at the door in my wall. I want to go into it. Leaving the lamp on my bed, I get up and go to the door.

Kneeling down I open it and look through. Peacock colors flash and a tunnel appears. It looks like crystal with stars just outside it. There is a slight breeze in the tunnel. Taking a deep, excited breath, I start crawling through it. Behind me the little door closes, but I hardly notice it.

* * *

_Dingdong. Diiingdong. Diiiiiiiiingdong._ Why does someone feel the need to go ring my doorbell in the middle of the night? Who could possibly have need of me? What do they want that is so important that it can't wait until tomorrow morning?

With a groan I crack open one eye and see the red glaring numbers of my alarm clock. 3:09 am. Someone is going to die. In my Pj's I get out of bed and shuffle down the stairs. On the way I stub my toe on something and curse softly. Opening the door I see one of the last people I ever expected to at my door.

"What do you want McCormick?" I grumble. In the dark I can't see well, but I think he's wet. Part of my brain tells me that this is wrong; he'll freeze in the winter temperatures. And its difficult to tell but I think his eyes are wide with...fear? What does McCormick have to fear other than starvation?

"Craig, I need your help!" Kenny latches his fingers around my arm. Through the thin material of my shirt, his skin feels like ice. I try to yank my hand away, but he has a death grip on it. "Please, I need to hide!" His face contorts in a grimace of pain.

"Why should I help you?" Sirens wail past my house towards the railroad tracks that separate Kenny from the rest of us. Looking in that direction I see an orange glow. "You set your house on fire?!" Its the only logical conclusion to jump to. "I'm not going to hide you, asshole."

"Please, Craig, please!" The panic in his voice causes my own unease to rise although a few minutes ago I was just fine. Suddenly the blonde cries out in pain. I haven't even punched him yet! Kenny twists away from me, falling down the step and onto his knees in the snow. One violent shudder goes through him then the McCormick disappears in front of my eyes.

Shocked into stillness, I stand there staring at the spot he was just in. There is no sign of the teenage boy who was just there except for his bootprints in the trampled snow. I look down at my arm where it still feels like he's hanging on. Rubbing it does nothing to warm the cold spot. Thoroughly uneasy now, I go back inside my house and lock the door. I turn around and go upstairs to bed, where I lay down and go to sleep.

The next morning I wake up tangled in my sheets. My skin is burning up except for one spot on my left arm. After freeing myself I get in the shower. No matter how hot I turn the water to, the one spot on my arm where Kenny touched me still won't warm up. If this damn spot wasn't here, I might have thought I dreamed Kenny. But this is where Kenny touched me, where I felt the ice, and it seems to be staying.

I try to put it from my mind as I get dressed and ready for school. When I'm joined by Tweek its not hard to forget about the weird events of last night. The spazzy blonde takes all of my attention. His trembling hands suddenly let go of his mug. The cup falls before either of us can do anything about it. While Tweek lets out a wail, I sigh and pick it up.

"We can get a new one, Tweek." I promise him. This is why we go to school early; so that by the time we get his coffee we will be on time. We hold hands to the coffee shop and I get him a new coffee. After that we go to school and our separate ways. As the day goes on I notice that Kenny isn't at school today.

Kenny's friends don't seem to notice and normally I wouldn't either. Except for the cold patch of skin. At lunch Tweek grabs my arm and suddenly drops it. His golden eyes are wide and fearful. "C-Craig whats wrong - gah! - with you?" This draws the attention of our table-mates.

"His arm is freezing!" Tweek explains before anyone else can ask. Well, here we go. A normal day made not normal and its all because of Kenny McCormick. Those idiots just can't leave me alone can they? "What - argh! - happened to you?"

"Its nothing Tweekers." I reply, using my favorite pet name for him. The blonde gives me a skeptical look but he won't disagree with me. Fortunately Tweek has ADHD and can't concentrate on one thing for very long. I've been trying to work on it with him, but I don't know if I'm making progress. The guys are looking at me, concerned.

"Craig, were you sticking your arm in the freezer again?" Clyde asks around a taco. Both Token and I roll our eyes.

"Yes, Clyde, I had my arm in the freezer all night." Sarcasm is heavy in my voice. "Your genius astounds me." The chubby brunette pouts in my direction. My only goodbye to the group is patting Tweek on the head before I head off to the bathroom. I relieve myself and wash my hands.

I glance up in the mirror and gasp with shock. Standing in the mirror where my reflection should be is a blonde boy. He's soaked to the bone and pale as a ghost. When he reaches his hand to the mirror it ripples. I step back as a dark shadow crosses in between us. Kenny looks afraid and I'm sure his expression is a mirror of mine.

The shadow passes. Kenny's hand breaks the surface of the mirror. Slowly his arm follows until half of his body is in the bathroom. "Craig, help me." His voice is like the wind through reeds, eerie. Its nothing like his usual sugar-sweet voice.

Suddenly a shadow passes through him. Kenny's blue eyes widen with pain. For a second it looks like he's choking and then blood oozes from between his lips. It drips onto the white porcelain sink. Then the blonde pulls himself further from the mirror. "Please help me."

I don't know what to think let alone what to say. This is beyond anything that I've ever experienced even that time when lasers shot from my eyes. When Kenny grabs onto my shoulder I feel the ice spreading through my skin. Ice isn't the only thing that spreads. Another shadow creature passes through Kenny. Instead of going through him it goes up his arm in a shadow and crosses into the bathroom.

The shadow transfers from his fingers to my shoulder. Its like getting a shot and feeling the liquid moving through your veins, except on a larger scale. My skin crawls at the sensation. Suddenly something pulls Kenny back, rips his hand away from my shoulder, and Kenny is gone in the mirror. I stand gasping, quivering with fear and confused at what just happened. My panicked reflection stares back at me.

It must have been a reminisce of my nightmare. Except that there is still blood in the sink and now my entire left arm feels like its frozen from the inside out. When I lift my sleeve I see something that horrifies me. A ghost of a shadow where Kenny touched me and the creature came through. Its so light it could be a healing bruise but I know it wasn't there before. An extra dose of fear spikes my blood.

A noise escapes me at the shrill scream that echos all around me. My hands fly to my mouth, covering it to prevent myself from laughing out loud at my own foolishness. Its just time for class. Still, I have goosebumps on my arms and a feeling of dread. I try telling myself I'm just a little jumpy and no one will even notice the shadow. Except that I know Tweek will notice it because he notices everything about me.

Maybe I should go home. I am not a pussy, which is what I would feel like if I let this bother me any more. What the hell trouble did McCormick get himself into now and why did he have to involve me? Staring at the blood in the sink I realize that I should clean it out before leaving so no one will ever know. Unless the blonde decides to try that stunt again on someone else. Disturbed and relieved by this thought, I begin to wash away the blood to the best of my abilities.

It seems to be sticking fast to the sink. Finally I give up with a groan. Somewhere in my head I've already decided to ditch school. I grab my backpack from my locker and exit through the front doors of the school. No one stops me; they don't give a damn anyway. As I walk I light up a cigarette with trembling hands.

From the corner of my eye I see something move but it turns out to be only a leaf. The nicotine isn't helping to calm my nerves like it usually does. Instead of going home I go to Starks Pond because there really isn't anywhere else to go. It doesn't occur to me until I'm standing staring at the frozen pond that I shouldn't have come. The pond is frosted over but looks dark beneath the white ice. I get the sense that its suddenly deeper than normal.

As I'm backing away slowly a loud sound fills the air. At first I'm confused then I realize that the ice is breaking. Adrenaline courses through my veins, energizing me. In the center the ice suddenly collapses into the black water. The first thing I see is his pale hand coming out of the water. His skin is frosted like the ice and his fingertips have dried blood on them.

His arm follows, only a tattered sleeve hanging onto the unnaturally thin appendage. Kenny's blonde head and another arm rise out of the water. The blonde pulls himself from the hole. His entire body is covered in thousands of tiny ice crystals that glitter in the sunlight. Old as his clothes were, they look a hundred times worse, barely clinging to his skinny frame. Dark circles surround his eyes so much so that I can't even see the blue orbs.

Kenny looks like a skeleton and I'm tempted to say that I didn't kill him. But that's just me watching too many movies. Instead I stand as still as the pine trees behind me. No cloud of breath comes from his chapped lips when Kenny speaks. "I'm sorry Craig, but you're going to have to come with me." Go with him where?

To Hell? "Fuck you!" My voice betrays my fear as it breaks. Fuck! Kenny looks at me and he's embodiment of sadness. All of a sudden I feel so bad for him.

No! I take off running, nearly tripping over my own feet. When I look back Kenny is still standing there staring at me. I let out a sigh of relief – too soon. Suddenly I collide with something like a block of ice. Both of us go down "Craig!"

A guttural noise comes from my throat. "Craig, its too late! You're already marked! There's nothing you can do!" I struggle fiercely to get away from Kenny but despite the coldness of his skin, he's strong. Suddenly I'm punched in the face.

"Craig! Stop being a bitch and look around for a minute!" He sounds more like Kenny than he did before, in the bathroom. But only slightly more. Still, I hate being called a bitch and I hate getting punched in the face. So I punch him back – its like punching a cold steak – before pausing to look around.

At first I don't see anything unnatural except Kenny. Then I see them; shadow creatures slipping through the pines. There are fangs and eyes and so many legs. "What are they?" Below me Kenny is silent. "Kenny, what the fuck are they?"

He shakes his blonde head in the snow. Trapped by him I feel marginally safer than I would have if I'd been alone in the woods surrounded by...things. "Demons." For once I don't think he's fucking with me. "They're here to bring you to Otherworld." The air seems to shimmer with excitement at the word _Otherworld_.

This Otherworld place I've never heard of before. I doubt its like Wonderland. The only thing my mind can come up with is, "Hell?" Slowly Kenny shakes his head no. Regardless of it not being a lake of fire, I know that I don't want to get taken to this mysterious place.

"Close." Kenny utters softly. From the corners of my eyes I see the shadows closing in. The blonde's cold arms are like bands of steel holding me in place no matter how hard I struggle to get away. "I can't let you go; I need you." His expression is one of immense sorrow, like he's going to burst into tears at any second.

Where they touch me, I feel branded a thousand times over with bits of dry ice that rip off chunks of my flesh. The shock is immense, causing a guttural cry to escape my lips. Through my tears I see the blurry smudge of Kenny's gray face. He looks like he's in pain as well but its a detail I hardly pay attention to. My heart stops beating. My joints lock and my entire being stills with the organ in my chest.

For just a moment I know without a doubt that I have died. Then something shocks me, and my heart restarts. The beating isn't steady or fast like it was before; it has a sluggish uneven pace. Kenny's skeletal hand is on my cheek. I want to ask if this happened to him too, but my tongue is thick in my mouth. I wish I knew what was going on; knowing might provide some relief.

The shadows must have backed off when my heart stopped but now they are back. This time their touch is like ice needles penetrating my skin and sticking into my bones to freeze the marrow. It hurts so much I squeeze my eyes shut and clamp my jaw so hard my teeth clack. A sensation like falling overtakes me. I open my eyes but see only darkness. Together, Kenny and I sink into the cold abyss of the pond without knowing how we got there in the first place.

* * *

Returning to Otherworld is like taking a breath of fresh air after being suffocated in a sauna. As it travels to my shriveled lungs, the air leaves a trail of frost. The frost shocks me, then my body gives in to it as my mind frantically tries to calm myself down. Its always like this after being back on Earth. Earth is hot, humid, suffocating to the extreme and Otherworld is...not. My disorientation lasts only for a moment.

Craig is still in my arms, eyes wide open to show only the whites. Worried only slightly, I watch him regain consciousness and his eyes roll back around to their correct place. Looking into his gray-blue eyes brings a frown to my face. They are just like the landscape of Otherworld and if we ever get out of here, I know that I'll always shiver whenever I see Craig's Otherworld eyes. The noirette teen struggles to breathe. A stab of regret and pity goes through me but I have to push it away.

Craig is necessary to my escape. "Are you okay?" Its a stupid question because no one could possibly be even remotely okay after experiencing that, but I don't know what else to say. In response those Otherworld eyes glare icily at me. I don't try to suppress the shiver those evil eyes bring on. His mouth opens and closes like that of a fish before he can get any sound out.

When the noirette speaks, its with a hoarse voice. "What did you do?" Internally I flinch. Who knew he would be dead on with this being my fault? Well, me and that fucking genie. His eyes dart around, taking in our surroundings.

My own follow his, keeping an eye out for the many dangers that lurk here. "Lets get out of the water." We're by a dark shore in darker water. Fear has me grabbing the noir's hand but he refuses to budge. I consider leaving him here to the things that live beneath the depths. "Get out of the fucking water before we die."

With an expressionless face Craig looks at me. "I already died." His voice makes it sound like he's saying that it rained today instead of something so serious and terrifying. My features contort into something that looks sympathetic and I sigh softly. I had to pick the most stubborn person of all to save me. Time to try a new approach.

"I know." My voice is as sad as I am. No one should ever die more than once. But at least I know that in Otherworld no one stays dead forever. "And I'll tell you everything, just get out of the goddamn water." After a brief hesitation that stretches on forever, Craig gives his consent and we wade to shore.

On shore I take us to a clearing as far away from the trees as possible and sit down. The noir remains standing for a few indecisive seconds then joins me, sitting opposite. "I stole a lamp from a garage sale." I start off then tell him about the genie and being trapped in Otherworld. "I threw myself at any heat source I could find, but the only one who saw me or responded was you. After the mirror thing, the demons took interest in you and were using me to bring you here and here we are."

His expression tells me that he wants to punch me again. Somehow I don't think it would be as warm as it was back on Earth. Throughout my explanation he was silent. "How do we get back?" Uncomfortably I shift on the ground.

"You don't know how to get back, do you?" His tone is angry and accusing. Even though I suppose I deserve it, it doesn't stop me from feeling like shit. Before I can say anything he continues, "And now we're both trapped here because of you. We can't even die to get out of here, can we?"

My eyes are firmly fixated on the ground in front of me. "No." I mutter. "I don't know how to get back permanently and we can't stay dead here." The sound echos when Craig slaps me across the face. Incredulous, I stare with wide eyes as he storms away.

Well, shit. The size of Otherworld is something I don't rightly know. Besides, I can't let my freedom and only company escape me so easily. Scrambling to my feet, I race after him but stay a few feet away. Without looking at me, Craig says, "If we ever get out of here, I swear that I will make sure you die and never come back."


End file.
